Humble Beginnings
by bookwormbelle91
Summary: My take on Woody's past life
1. Sharing stories

***New Story! I know I've been posting a lot-it's all these ideas in my head! Anyway, this is the Woody's history story that I've been hinting about. I'm still writing the last few chapters, but I wanted to post the first chapter, so enjoy!***

Sheriff Woody walked into Bonnie's room one afternoon to the sound of laughter. He found his family gathered together in the center of the room.

"Molly constantly liked removing my pieces and putting them in her mouth, pesky princess drool!" Potato Head said.

"She wasn't that bad, Potato Head." Bo said, laughing.

"You weren't man-handled by her on the daily, Peep!'

"Calm down, spud head. Hamm said. It's not like you were injured by her." The others laughed.

"That was a funny story, Mr. Potato Head." Rosetta said.

"What's going on over here?" Woody said, sitting beside his daughter. He kissed her on the forehead and gave Bo a kiss.

"We're telling stories, dad!"

"Yes stories of how we came to be with our kids. Bo said. Potato Head was the last one to share his story."

"Has everyone shared already?"

"Yes, everyone except..." She looked at her husband.

"Hey, that's right Bo-Bo. We've never heard your full story, Woody." Jessie said.

"Yeah, we just know bits and pieces." Slinky said.

"Tell us your story, Uncle Woody!" The pea pods cried.

"Yeah, share with us sheriff!' Buttercup said. Woody looked around at the faces of his family. He only ever told the story of his past to one person and she was holding onto his arm.

"My, my story is a long one, and the first half of it, it isn't happy." He said sadly.

"Darling, you don't need to tell us if you don't want to." Bo said softly.

"No, no honey, it's alright." He whispered. Then he spoke to everyone else. "It's not fair that you don't know my story. I'm just warning you, it's not pleasant."

"It can't possibly be worse that what we already know." Hamm said.

"Alright, I guess I'll start when I arrived at Justin's. It was the day of his sixth birthday..."

_August 1954_

"Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday dear Justin, happy birthday to you." Justin's mom and friends sang. The birthday boy Justin sat smiling with a red party hat resting on top of his sandy blonde hair. His brown eyes sparkled with delight as his mom put a present in front of him.

"Happy birthday, Justin." Mom said. Justin tore apart the paper and squealed when he saw what it was.

"Alright, a one of a kind Sheriff Woody doll from 'Woody's Roundup! Thanks mom!" Justin said as he took the doll out of the box.

"Yeah, he's definitely one of a kind, Justin. One of his friends said. He doesn't even have a hat!"

"What are you...?" Justin took one look at the doll and sure enough, there was no cowboy hat on his head or anywhere in the box. "What the heck is this? This is a defect! Mom you bought me a defect toy!"

"I'm sorry honey, I didn't know." His mom said. Justin pushed it away and opened his other presents. Inside the box, Woody was heartbroken. His new kid hated him, all because he didn't have a hat. Later that night, Woody watched from his box as Justin played with his other new toys that he received from his friends. _No kid is ever going to want to play with me. _Woody thought to himself, silently sobbing.


	2. Rainbow Hill

***So far so good, right? Forgive me if it gets confusing going back and forth. Here chapter 2!***

_Present_

"The next day, his mom had placed a box in the car to be taken to the nearest daycare. Woody explained. Justin slipped me into the box without her knowing."

"What a despicable kid." Prickle Pants said.

"Yeah, not to mention spoiled! Buttercup said. How could a child toss aside a toy without even playing with it first? Gosh, I'm sorry Woody."

"That's where Rainbow Hill comes in now, right?" Trixie asked.

"Yeah, she left the box on the counter at the daycare. When I was brought to the play room for the older kids, I was introduced to a bunch of really nice toys, including another cowboy named Logan.

_Story_

Woody looked around the box as it shifted. There were a few tinker toys, some puzzles, and a sock monkey in the box besides him. He couldn't believe he was being donated, after not even one day with his new kid. His teeth began to chatter as fear took form.

"Hey cowboy, would you calm?" A fisher price little Ernie beside him shouted.

"Yeah, it will be alright. His pal Bert said. We're going to Rainbow Hill, one of the finest daycare's in the area. There are tons of kids there."

"You mean kids that are nicer then Justin?" Woody asked.

"Way nicer than Justin. Just wait, cowboy. You'll be scooped up the minute those kids come in the door." The lid to the box was opened and the hands of a stuffed elephant took each toy out of the box.

"Howdy folks, welcome to Rainbow hill." A cowboy like Woody dressed in a brown frayed jacket, pants, hat, and brown spur boots stood in front of Woody. "The names Logan, what's your, partner?" He held out his hand to him.

"Howdy, I'm Woody." Woody said, taking his hand and shaking it.

"Pleased to me you, Woody. Hey! You're a sheriff! That's pretty cool. We could use a bit of hard law around here, especially with Rumble and his gang thinking that they run the place." Logan said.

"Who is Rumble?" Logan wrapped an arm around him and pointed to a corner of the room. There were five toys: four of them were giant red army men and in the center of them was a very large stuffed German shepherd dog with a mean face.

"Rumble doesn't take kindly to new toys. We've actually lost a few good toys because of them."

"Wait, they've actually killed toys?" Woody asked.

"Technically no, just beaten them to the point where they needed to be disposed of." Woody gulped. "Oh but don't worry, we try to keep them in line the best that we can. If they mess with you at any time, come get me. I'll set them straight." Woody looked over at the toy gang. Rumble was glaring at him. The dog bared its teeth and growled at Woody, making him gasp.

_Present_

"In that moment, I knew he had made me his next target. Just in that one glare, I knew he was planning something awful for me." Woody said.

***Sorry that this one is short. Next one will be a bit longer!***


	3. The first threat

***Chapter three is up...AND TS4 IS ONE MONTH AWAY!***

That first day was one of Woody's most exhilarating moments of his life. The kids at the daycare loved him, despite him being incomplete. Some of the kids had the biggest imaginations he'd had ever seen. Six months went by and soon, Woody had become a favorite to a few of the kids. Every night, he went to sleep with a smile on his face However, sleep was interrupted one night when something pulled him off the shelf he was on and threw him down onto the floor. Two of the giant army men grabbed him.

"So, newbie, you think you can just waltz in and take over? Rumble asked. You are just a rag doll cowboy without a hat. What makes you so special?" He hit Woody in the stomach, making him wince.

"Nothing, please, I'm not trying to take over anything. It's not my fault the kids want to play with me more. Woody said. I don't want any trouble."

"Oh it's too late for that, pal." He socked Woody in the stomach a second time. "You came into my territory which means you have become my new target, you pathetic excuse for a cowboy."

"Hey, I am a cowboy!"

"Oh really, where's your hat then, hmm? What's a cowboy without his hat? Oh that's right, a fake!"

"I am not a fake!" Rumble made a motion with his hand and the army men dropped him and began to punch and kick him. Rumble moved his hand again and they stopped. Woody struggled to get up, but the dog was there in a flash and pushed the cowboy to the ground with his paw.

"Raise your voice to me again, I dare you! You think you're tough, you are nothing but a spineless, gutless, fraud!" He went to strike him when someone yelled.

"Rumble, leave him alone!" Logan shouted.

"Look who it is, Logan to the rescue, right on time. Chill out, boy. I'm not roughing up the newbie too badly, right sheriff?"

"Get off of him, right now, you mangy mutt." Rumble rolled his eyes and moved his paws from Woody's chest.

"I am not through with you yet, cowboy." Rumble threatened.

"Go on, get out of here." Logan said. The dog walked away and Logan went over to help Woody up.

"Are you alright, partner?" He asked.

"Ah, yeah, yeah I'm alright." Woody said.

"Sorry about him. I don't know how he ever got to be like this." Woody thought the same thing as he watched the dog exit the room.

***Please review!**


	4. Breakout!

***Howdy all! Sorry to keep you in suspense. Here is chapter four. Who's seeing Aladdin this weekend? The new TS4 trailer will be included in it! AHH!***

_Present_

"Two years passed and I tried as best as I could to avoid Rumble and his crew at all cost. Woody said, continuing with the story. Though there were times I just couldn't get away fast enough. A couple times, his crew jumped me and beat me for over an hour. Another time was when he locked me in a tool box. Logan helped me a few times. He and I had developed a strong friendship until he was taken home by one of the kids. The second summer I spent there was when I experienced the worst wrath of Rumble's gang."

"That was when you tried to escape right?" Buzz asked.

"That's right. Rumble had jumped me multiple times since Logan left. Every day he would find some excuse to torment me or hit me. Finally I said enough and attempted to escape. It, it did not go well."

"Okay, this is the part the children do not need to hear." Bo said.

"Ah come on mom! Please let me listen!" Rosetta whined.

"Yeah, we can handle it, Auntie Bo!" The pea pods cried.

"Story! Story!" The aliens chanted. Bo looked down at her daughter, and then back at her husband, sighing.

"Okay fine, but don't I say didn't warn you if she can't sleep tonight."

Woody hid on the bookshelf and looked out. He looked to the left and then to the right, searching for any sign of Rumble or his men. The coast clear, he bolted from his spot and made a beeline straight to the door. He ran out to the hallway into an office where he saw an open window. Carefully, he climbed down and ran across the playground to the front gates. Taking a deep breath, he started to climb up.

"He's on the gate!" An army man shouted.

"Get him!" A second man yelled. Woody tried to scurry up the wooden gate, but two of the men grabbed him and pulled him away.

"No, no please! Let me go, leave me alone!" Woody begged.

"Quiet you! Rumble will decide your fate." One of the men said. They took him back to the playroom and threw him down in the middle of the room. A paw lifted his face up.

"Trying to breakout, are we? Not on my watch!" Rumble said.

"No. No please." Woody pleaded.

"Begging won't help you this time, fake. Boys, you know what to do." Woody tried to crawl away, but the army men grabbed him and started beating him. They punched and kicked every part of his body. Every time he tried to fight back, they hit him twice as hard. Finally after what seemed like hours, they stopped. Woody was glad he was made of cloth, for if he was human, he would have had multiple injuries such as broken bones or internal bleeding. That didn't mean he wasn't in pain. He was sore from his head down to his legs. Placing a hand on the floor, he tried to lift himself up, but Rumble kicked him back down.

"Oh no, you don't rag doll, that was just the first round. Now you deal with me." And he attacked, kicking and punching the poor cowboy ten times harder than his crew had.

_Present_

"Woody! Woody!" Jessie yelled, shaking him out of his thoughts. Opening his eyes, he gasped. His family was looking at him with concern in their eyes. Only then did he realize his hands were at the sides of his head and they were curled into fists. Lowering his hands, he looked at Jessie

"So, sorry Jess. I guess the memory is still pretty fresh." Woody said, panting.

"Oh bro, there is no need to apologize." Jessie wrapped her arms around him. Rosetta got up and ran over to him, hugging him too. Soon Bo came over, taking his hand and Buzz placed a hand on his shoulder.

"We've got you, sheriff. Buzz said. Do you want to continue?" He looked at his friend, who was still gasping. Soon the sheriff began to calm down and shook his head yes.

_Rainbow hill_

Rumble gave one final punch to the side of Woody's head and the defeated cowboy fell to the ground. This time there was no point trying to get up; Woody couldn't move an inch. If his body wasn't hurting before, it definitely was hurting now. He felt Rumble kick him again so that he rolled onto his back. The dog stood over him, baring his teeth.

"Let this be your first and only warning, Woody, because if you ever try to escape again, I will tear you apart. Rumble said. You had better get used to this, because it's just going to get worse for you if you fight back. And don't look to anyone else here for help, because they don't care about you. No one will ever love you, not any child or toy. You are nothing but a weak, yellow-bellied phony and that's all you will ever be." The dog growled at Woody and then he and his crew walked away.

***I'll post chapter five tomorrow, I promise!***


	5. Learning to trust again

***Chapter five is up! This one is a little longer than the others, but in my opinion, its an important chapter. Enjoy!***

_Present_

Woody sighed, his hands clasped under his chin. His family had gathered closer to him, just to make sure he didn't freak out again.

"They left me lying there. Woody finally said. Sore, humiliated and scared beyond belief. No one came to help me or to check and see if I was alright. I was finally able to get up and limped to the supply closet. I passed by a window and saw my reflection, and I repulsed by what I saw. They had kicked and punched me so many times that I actually had small cuts on several parts of my body and small bits of stuffing had started to fall out. When I got to the closet, I buried myself in the blankets the kids used for nap time and cried. I never tried to escape again because I was convinced that Rumble was going to kill me if I did. On top of that, I feared all toys. I lost all trust in anyone I came in contact with. I even lost faith in myself. I truly thought no one would ever love me, toy or human."

"Oh honey." Bo cried, pulling him towards her. "You are so loved, my dear."

"She's right, Woody. Jessie said. Andy loved you, Bonnie loves you and most of all, we love you and nothing will ever change that. Am I right guys?"

"Yeah!" They all said.

"We love you, Woody!" Rex cried.

"You're the best, Woodster!" Hamm said.

"We love you as well!" Trixie, Dolly and Buttercup shouted. Woody smiled.

"Thank you, guys. Thank you so much. He said. I love all of you too."

"So what happened with Rumble, dad? Did he still torture you?" Rosetta asked.

"I'm afraid so, sweetie. He didn't attack me every day; just often enough to remind me that he had control over me. It wasn't until the end of summer in nineteen fifty six when a little boy found me and took me home."

"Andy's grandfather!" Slinky yelped happily.

"Right you are, slink!"

_August 1956_

Woody sat in the closet, buried under the blankets for the tenth time that month. Rumble had just got done beating him again and he was trying to nurse his injuries. He heard the front door open and opened the door slightly.

"Hello?" A woman called out. Behind her was a young boy of about four years old.

"Oh hey, welcome. I was just going to call you." One of the teachers said. "Come in, come in. You must be Susan, and this must be Robert. Hi sweetie, I'm Miss. Amy."

"Say hi, Bobby." Susan said.

"Hello." Bobby said, hiding behind his mother's leg.

"Shy, huh? That's alright. There are plenty of wonderful kids here at Rainbow Hill that will help you fit right in. Come on; let's start the tour, shall we?" Amy led them through the playroom, telling them about the fun activities and the programs they had, but Bobby wasn't real interested in any of it.

"Mama, I don't want to go here." Bobby said.

"But sweetheart, you'll have fun here, and you'll get to meet all new friends."

"I don't want friends! I want to stay with you!" Bobby let go of his mom's hand and ran into the closet, crying. "They will all laugh at me for being short, I just know it." Woody had hid under the blankets, but looked out at the little boy. He felt bad for the kid. He knew what it felt like being made fun of. Suddenly, something grabbed him by the foot. He froze and was lifted out from under the blanket. "Hey, a Sheriff Woody doll! Just like from 'Woody's Roundup!" Bobby pulled his string.

"You're my favorite deputy!" Woody's voice box replied. Bobby giggled.

"This is so cool! Wait, where's your hat? Oh that doesn't matter. I can find one for you." Bobby rushed out of the closet and held the doll up for his mother to see. "Mom, look! They have a sheriff Woody doll!"

"Oh dear, what happened to him?'' Amy said, taking him from Bobby. "He's all beat up. Looks like I might have to send the sheriff out to the pasture."

"No! I'll take him. Please, may I have him?" The boy looked up sadly at Amy. Amy looked at his mom and then back at Bobby and smiled.

"He's all yours, Bobby." She handed Woody over to Bobby who hugged him.

"So what do you say, Bobby, think we can give this daycare a try?" Bobby shook his head yes. Susan thanked Amy and the two of them went home. Bobby played with Woody and introduced him to all of his toys. The sheriff actually felt happy that this child liked him enough to take him home, clean him up and play with him, but how long would it last? Once Bobby went to sleep, some of his toys went over to Woody to properly introduce themselves. Woody saw one of them looked like one of the army men who had attacked him and dove under the bed.

"Uh-oh, what happened?" A aquaman asked.

"What did you do, Joe?" A Wonder woman asked.

"Nothing, don't worry, I see what's up." The bed ruffle lifted and the soldier walked under the bed. Woody was up against the wall, knees pulled up to his chest, shaking.

"Please, please don't hurt me. I know I don't belong here, I didn't mean to enter your territory." Woody said.

"Hey, hey, easy there boy, no one's going to hurt you here." the soldier said. "My name is Joe. I'm the leader of these toys and I promise you, we are all friends here. What's your name, sheriff?"

"Wo, Woody. My name is Woody."

"You came from Rainbow hill, didn't you?" Woody nodded. "I thought so. I've actually met a few of the toys from there."

"You, you did?" Joe came closer to Woody.

"Yeah, Robert has a best friend down the street named Mark who goes to that daycare. Sometimes Mark brings home toys from there and the two of them patch them up, clean them up, and send them back the next day looking brand new. Mark actually took a toy home from there, a cowboy like you named Logan." Woody smiled when he heard his friend's name.

"Logan? I know him! How's he doing?"

"He loves living with Mark. In fact, now that you mention him, he asked about you the last time he was here. I told him if you were to ever come my way, I'd let him know. He will be glad to hear that you've come to stay with us, partner." Woody's smile disappeared.

"Listen Joe, I'm glad Bobby took me home. He's treated me better than my last kid did. I, I just, I haven't..." Woody sighed.

"Let me guess. This has to do with a certain dog over at Rainbow Hill, correct? Rumble, I believe his name is?" Woody shook his head. "Yeah I know about him. Logan said he made you his target. Listen to me, boy. There are toys like Rumble who have never known love or friendship, and they build up bad energy and take it out on any toy they deem weak or defenseless. Then there are the good toys that take care of the ones who need it the most. That is my mission, to protect each and every toy that enters this family, and I promise you, if you stay here, you will be protected." Joe placed his hand on Woody's shoulder.

"Thank you, Joe."

"Would you like to meet the rest of the gang? I'll be right beside you." He helped Woody to his feet and the two of them walked out from under the bed.


	6. What makes a cowboy?

***As with all my stories, thank you for all the support! I love writing these stories, it keeps my childhood alive! Well, that and my undying love of Disney! Anyway, here is chapter six. BTW 22 DAYS LEFT!***

_Present_

"Things started to get better after that. Woody said, smiling. Joe had helped me get used to being with Bobby and soon I developed strong friendships with all of his toys. I even was reunited with Logan. He was so happy to see me again."

"Yay, there is finally some happiness to this story!" Buttercup said

"How long where you with Andy's grandfather, Woody?" Dolly asked.

"Twelve years, up until he went to college. Then I was put up in the attic with a few of Bobby's other toys that would one day be passed on to his firstborn son."

"Was Joe placed in the attic too, Dad?" Rosetta asked.

"No, sweetheart, Joe was sold in a yard sale a few months after Bobby's tenth birthday. It was actually right around the time Bobby had found me a hat. That's when Joe taught me the true meaning of being a leader."

_April 1962_

Bobby ran up the stairs into his room and grabbed Woody off his bed.

"Woody! You'll never guess what I found at a yard sale down the street!" He cried. Reaching into his coat pocket, he pulled out a brown stitched hat. "It's an authentic Sheriff Woody hat! The woman found it in her sons room cleaning one day and couldn't figure out what it belonged to, but I knew it as soon as I saw it." He placed the hat on Woody's head and smiled. It fit perfectly. He spent the rest of the afternoon playing Justice League meets the Wild West. Around six, Bobby left for a sleepover and Woody went to sit against the window.

"Hey sheriff, mind if I join you?" Joe asked coming up beside him.

"No, not at all, Joe." Woody said, moving over.

"Nice hat you got there, cowboy."

"Thank you, I finally feel like a real cowboy."

"You've always been a real cowboy, Woody. A hat doesn't make you a cowboy, you know."

"Then what does? Without a hat, I always felt incomplete, like I was nothing without one, like I was a fake."

"Woody, a cowboy without a hat is still a cowboy. The hat doesn't make you a cowboy, but the way you act while wearing the hat does. You say you felt incomplete without it? While that may be true, you acted like a true sheriff without even wearing anything on your head. Did you know that a few of the gang think of you as my second in command?"

"Wait, seriously?"

"Yes, they all look to you if I'm not around. You've really grown since you first arrived here, partner, in more ways than one. You have proven to be a really great leader. Which actually reminds me of the reason why I came up here. My time here is coming to an end, Woody, and someone needs to take over and lead these toys. Someone who will take care of them, make sure nothing bad happens to them. I would like you to be that someone."

"You want me to take over, as leader? Wow, that's...I; I don't know what to say, Joe. I'm honored."

"You deserve it, Woody. There is no one I'd rather have fill my shoes than you. Plus, given where you came from and the things you experienced, I say you have everything it takes to fit the leader mold: Strength, bravery, kindness and loyalty." Woody smiled.

"Thank you, Joe. Thank you for everything. I won't let you down, I promise."

***Almost done with this...just working on the two chapters. Please review!***


	7. Losing a kid

***Here is chapter seven. I took a bit of time trying to write this chapter for it was a little hard trying to figure out the flow of it. I have one more chapter left to write and then it will be done. I am working on another story with the three members of the Pride family. Not telling the synopsis yet, but just for a bit of fun, Woody will deal with one major issue of raising a teenage girl...a first crush! That's all I'm giving you! enjoy***

_Present_

"After Joe left, I took over as leader. Woody said. All of Bobby's toys looked up to me. It made me feel important, like to I mattered to someone other than my kid. I went on to lead Robert's son, Thomas's toys, and then Andy's."

"And now your the leader of Bonnie's toys." Rosetta said.

"Co-leader. Dolly and I share the room, Rose." Dolly smiled at him. "Well that about wraps up my past life, since the rest you already know."

"Hold on there, cowboy. You're forgetting an important part of your story." Buttercup said.

"What are you talking about? I told you guys everything."

"What about losing Thomas?" Trixie asked. Woody looked at her and then at everyone else.

"Oh. Yeah, that." Woody rubbed the back of his head. "Its hard, losing a kid, we all know that.

"Yeah but you've had experience dealing with the death of an owner. Two owners actually. Dolly said. None of us have had to deal with that yet." Woody stood and took a step towards the window. He looked outside at the moon shining in. He closed his eyes.

"It was winter, just a few weeks before Christmas. Andy was four years old. His mom and Thomas were going to surprise him with a gift to let him know that he was going to be a big brother. Thomas left to go pick it up and it had just started raining. The temperature had dropped below thirty which made the roads start to get really icy. Thomas's car hit an ice patch and caused him to slide off the road and...and um..."

"Its alright honey. Take a deep breath." Bo said, she said touching his shoulder. He did and sighed.

"His car slammed into a tree. When the paramedics arrived, he was long gone. Andy's mom got the call an hour later. At the time, Andy only had me, Hamm, Rex, Slinky and Mr. Potato Head. We didn't know what was going on until the following night when she told him what happened. Andy was not the only one who cried himself to sleep that night."

1993  
"Mommy, when is daddy coming back?" Andy asked. They were in his mom's room getting ready for bed. His mom came over and sat on the end of the bed.

"Sweetheart, do you remember when grandpa went to heaven last year?" She asked. Andy nodded yes. "Unfortunately, something happened to daddy. He had an accident, a very bad accident, and now he too has to go up to heaven. Do you understand, sweetie?"

"So daddy is going up in the clouds, with poppy?"

"Yes, that's right. But remember what I told you about poppy. Even if you can't see him, he is always with you. Now daddy will always be with you too." Andy nodded again and then dove into his mother's arms, crying. Mother and son sat on the bed, crying and holding each other. On the other side of the hall, five toys had heard the entire conversation.

"Oh no, mom told him." Hamm told him.

"Of course she did, Hamm. Potato Head said. What else was she going to do? Lie to him?"

"Poor Andy." Slinky said.

"What do we do, Woody? Woody?" Rex asked. The sheriff was looking at Andy and his mom on the bed. He was stunned by what they heard. No, Thomas wasn't dead. He couldn't be. But he knew mom rarely lied, so he knew this was true. He took a deep breath.

"We have to be there for Andy. He finally said. Tomorrow is the funeral. Andy is going to want to take all of us, so let's let him." They all agreed. The next day, Andy held his four toys in his arms as the casket was lowered into the grave. The wake was held at the Davis house right after. The toys were placed back in Andy's room, but they didn't want to do anything. They just sat together on the floor by the toy chest. Rex looked around the room.

"Hey, where did Woody go?" Rex asked.

"I saw him go under the bed. Hamm said. I think he wants to be left alone."

"Why? Andy's dad dying doesn't affect him." Potato Head said. Rex, Hamm, and Slinky gasped.

"Yes it does, spud head! Have you forgotten that Woody used to belong to Andy's dad? Slinky spat. That's his owner, you numskull!" The dog turned away and headed towards the bed.

"Slink, wait a minute. Let's leave him for a few minutes." Hamm said.

"No, someone needs to make sure he's alright." He lifted the bed ruffle and saw the sheriff lying by the wall, his hat beside him. Slinky sighed and walked over to his friend. "Woody, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Slinky." The cowboy mumbled.

"You know, I may not have known you for long or be a smart dog, but I know when someone is lying. You can talk to me. I've been told I'm a really good listener."

"I really don't feel like talking right now, Slink." He moved to sit up against the wall.

"Alright. Then would you mind if I sit with you?" Woody shrugged, so the springy dog sat beside him. All of a sudden, Woody started softly crying. Since Woody came into Andy's room, none of the guys had seen him show any emotions. Slinky immediately placed his head in his lap. Woody held the dog around his neck.

"I, I know death. When Robert died, I was upset, but not this upset. I, I don't understand why Thomas's death is affecting me more than Robert's."

"Did you get to say goodbye to Robert?"

"Ye, yeah. Thomas placed me in his arms before he took his last breath and I got to say goodbye. But Thomas...his death was so sudden that...oh my god. I didn't get to say goodbye. Oh Slink!" Woody held the dog, petting him.

"It's alright, Woody. Thomas knew how much you loved him. That's why he passed you onto Andy. He knew that you were the one to take care of his son if anything ever happened to him."

"It, it hurts, Slink, knowing that I didn't get to say goodbye, knowing that I'll never see him again."

"I know, buddy. Look, it's hard for us toys to understand why our owners leave us so suddenly, but you know what, even though they aren't with us anymore, they never truly leave us. They remain in our memories for the rest of our lives, and as long as we keep those memories alive, the ones we love will never leave us."

"Wow. That's some powerful stuff, Slink. Thank you."

"Of course, Woody. Do you want to go talk to the others, or do you want to stay here for a bit?"

"I'm going to stay here for a while longer. Will, will you stay with me?"

"Of course I will, pal. I'll stay as long as you want me to." Woody lay down on the cold floor and Slinky stretched out beside him, laying on the cowboy's arm.


	8. Come so far

***Last chapter for Woody's past! Thank you for loving this. Like I said, I wish something like this could have been given to us in the movies...but they have to leave some parts to our own imagination, right?***

_Present_

"We didn't talk much the rest of the night, but Slinky stayed with me the whole time." Woody said, petting the dog's head.

"Darn right I did. Slinky said happily. I said I would stay with you as long as you needed me to."

"You really helped me that day, Slink." Slinky hugged Woody tight.

"Hey, Hamm, Rex and I helped too." Potato Head snapped. Woody laughed.

"Yes, Potato Head, Rex, and Hamm did come to see me the next morning and said their condolences. They planned a small service for Thomas and they all spoke on his behalf, which was, really nice. We all worked together to take care of Andy as he grieved. Every night, he held all of us tight in his arms." Woody sighed. "To this day, I still wish I had the chance to say goodbye to him."

"Thomas knows you miss him, Woody. Bo said, hugging him. He's always with you, just like Andy and Robert are."

"I'm sorry about Thomas, dad." Rosetta said, hugging him.

"Thank you, sweetie. And that is where my story ends." His family clapped their hands.

"Wow, what a history!" Prickle Pants said.

"I'll say. It was a great story though." Buttercup said.

"Thank you for sharing, uncle Woody." The Pea-pods said.

"Alright kids, come on, bedtime." Mrs. Potato Head said. She ushered the peas and her sons away. Soon everyone had gotten up and went to find a spot to sleep. Last in the circle was Buzz, Jessie, Bo, Rosetta and Woody. Woody took a deep breath as Bo kissed his cheek.

"Hey. Are you alright, darling?" She asked.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. No I actually feel really good." Woody said.

"I'm glad you finally decided to tell them."

"They deserved to know. They've been by my side all these years, they should know my history. Bonnie's toys too. They trust me enough to come into their room and co-lead, they should know my backstory."

"I'm proud of you, sheriff. You have come a long way from where you started."

"She's right, Woody. Buzz said. You really have made a name for yourself. Sheriff Woody, a loyal, strong leader, and a hell of a best friend."

"Not to mention an amazing brother." Jessie said.

"A loving father." Rosetta said.

"And a wonderful husband." Bo said. Woody smiled at all of them. He shook Buzz's shoulder, hugged his sister and daughter, and then kissed his wife.

"Thank you guys. Thank you so much. I love you guys."

"We love you too, Woody." They all joined in on a group hug and snuggled together on the bed. Woody was the last to fall asleep, for he took one last look outside. His beginning was humble and rocky, but that did not define him. He had indeed come a long way from the scared, uncertain cowboy he once was. He knew that when his end came, he would have lived a long happy life surrounded by his friends and family, and that made him happy.

***The end! Sorry, kind of a cheesy****way to end this, but there is Woody's history. I'll be posting the next chapter of my 'Disaster strikes' story later, and then I'm also working on another Pride family story. and after that, maybe a TS4 story? But that will be after I see it! Till then, partners!***


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